Loose leaf binder post assembly



y 30, 1967 J. G. MONAHAN ETAL 3,322,128

LOOSE LEAF BINDER POST ASSEMBLY Filed April 1, 1966 INVENTORS JAMES G. MONAHAN DAVID A. RAUSCHER lhelr ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,322,128 LOOSE LEAF BINDER POST ASSEMBLY James G. Monahan, 434 Long Drive, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15241, and David A. Rauscher, 2941 Applegate Court, Gleuview, Ill. 60025 Filed Apr. 1, 1966, Ser. No. 539,485 2 Claims. (Cl. 129-12) This invention relates generally to a loose leaf binder and, more particularly, to a post assembly therefor.

Attempts have been made in the past to provide plastic posts for permanently binding a stack of papers in a loose leaf binder. These have not proved satisfactory since the plastic posts tend to stretch as well as break, particularly where sharp bends are made as required in certain loose leaf binder assemblies.

An apparent solution to the problem would be to replace the plastic posts by metal ones. However, these are not satisfactory since the fasteners used, generally of the Tinnerman nut type, will not anchor securely to the metal posts but will tend to slip and become loose.

An object of our invention is to provide a novel binder post assembly which is devoid of the above named disadvantages of plastic and metal posts.

A more specific object of our invention is to provide a novel loose leaf binder post assembly involving composite cable and plastic post to overcome all the problems of either plastic or metal posts.

Other objects and advantages will become more apparent from a study of the following description taken with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view showing a complete post assembly, with parts shown broken away, for use in a loose leaf binder for tightly holding a stack of sheets within the binder covers;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view and FIG. 3 is a top view, respectively, of a form of fastener or nut that is used near the terminal end of the binding post for holding a loose leaf binder or book;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, perspective view of a book or loose leaf binder with the posts of FIG. 1 in place;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view taken through the posts of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a top view of a modified form of a nut to be substituted for that shown in FIGS. 2 and 3;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIIVl'I;

FIG. 8 is an elevational view, partly in cross-section, of an assembly tool for assembling the nuts shown in FIGS. 6 and 7; and,

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 8 after removal of the assembly tool and after cutting of the post to size.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, FIG. 1 shows a complete binder post assembly, embodying the present invention, for a loose leaf binder or book, which assembly is denoted generally by numeral 10. It comprises a metal head 11 having a cylindrical shank 12 which is swaged at 14 so as to tightly grip cable 13 and form an integral terminal member of the cable. The head may alternatively be soldered or welded to the cable terminal. The cable 13 may be of any suitable size preformed galvanized aircraft cable, such as A "-7 x 7 (seven strands of seven wires each wound around in a helical manner, 6 strands wound around 1 center strand). The length of the cable beyond the head and shank 12 is coated with plastic, such as nylon forming a jacket or sleeve 25 bonded by a heat extrusion where the nylon is put on over the inner core of aircraft cable under pressure and is extruded on the cable as a jacket. The nylon is forced down into the interstices of the aircraft cable in this nylon extrusion process. This process of ice bonding the nylon to the cable prevents the tendency of the jacket from being pulled longitudinally relative to the cable so as to strip or peel from the cable. The nylon is preferably extruded onto the cable by the use of a pressure die, rather than applied as a sleeve.

At the other end of the cable, a nut, generally denoted by numeral 16, is slipped on. The nut is of the Tinnerman type having slits 18 and cut-outs 17 to provide a oneway action grip on the nylon coating 25, whereby the nut can be moved only toward the head 11, but when moved away from the teeth will grip into the surface of the nylon coating 25, as shown more clearly in FIG 1.

The ends of nut 16 are provided with flanges 20 which rest on top of the cover of a book or loose leaf binder, as shown in FIG. 4. That is, holes are made through the covers 24 and 22 and a stack of sheets 25, as shown in FIG. 5 and through which holes the binding posts 10 are projected up through the bottom and thereafter the nuts 16 are lowered in place and securely anchored to and tightly grip the pages between the top and bottom covers 24 and 22.

As shown in FIG. 5, the end portions of the posts are bent since they are originally longer than needed and may be left in such bent position in certain types of binders. However, for the present type illustrated, we prefer to cut the posts to size, as shown in FIG. 9, after the nuts are securely anchored, so as to tightly compress the loose leaf binder sheets between the top and bottom covers.

A modification of the nut is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, and generally denoted by numeral 26. The nut is cupshaped having a bottom with a central hole 29 with radial slots to form three arcuate segments 30 which are springy and Will flex in the manner shown in FIG. 1 so as to dig into and become anchored to the coating 25. The circular flange 27 rests on top of the cover 24, as shown in FIG. 5. If desired, however, it may be recessed into a circular well portion of the cover much the same as those in the bottom cover which receive heads 11.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show a simple means of inserting the nuts shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 so that they will tightly compress the pages of the loose binder between the covers thereof. Assembly tool 32 comprises a plastic knob 33 which has a shank 35 screwed therein through a threaded portion 34 of reduced diameter. The post and coating 25 projects through the hole 37 of the shank after which the knob is pressed downwardly so as to force the nut as far down as possible to assure tight compression of the sheets between the top and bottom covers 24 and 22, respectively. After removal of the tool, a portion of the posts, shown in dotted lines, is cut by pliers or other suitable tool so as to be flush with, or slightly below the level of a circular flange 27.

Thus it will be seen that we have provided a very efficient post assembly for a loose leaf binder, which post assembly comprises a plastic coating to assure anchorage of a nut into the surface thereof, and which has a core in the form of a cable to provide great tensile strength and prevent any appreciable stretching of the post as the result of use of the loose leaf binder; furthermore we have provided a relatively simple and inexpensive post assembly that will provide a permanent binding to a book or loose leaf binder, and which will have no tendency to become loosened as a consequence of normal use of the loose leaf binder.

While we have illustrated and described several embodiments of our invention, it will be understood that these are by way of illustration only, and that various changes and modifications may be made within the contemplation of our invention and Within the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. A loose leaf binder comprising a pair of covers for holding a stack of sheets therebetween, a plurality of holes through an edge portion of said covers and sheets, a plurality of binding post assemblies extending through said holes, each binding post assembly comprising a head portion serving as a stop by resting in a well portion on the outer surface of one cover, a stranded wire cable extending through one of said holes and integrally secured and swaged inside a sleeve portion of one of said heads, a plastic jacket extruded on and substantially integral with said cable so as to prevent said jacket from being pulled longitudinally relative to said cable so as to strip or peel from said cable, said cable including a plurality of Wires wound around in a helical manner, said plastic jacket being forced into the interstices of the cable during extrusion to prevent the tendency of the jacket from being pulled longitudinally relative to the cable, and a cupshaped nut resting in a well portion on the outside surface of the other of said covers and having flexible, one-way acting spring elements formed in the bottom of said cupshape snugly surrounding said plastic jacket for freely permitting the nut to slide toward the head, but not away from it as a consequence of digging into the plastic coating by said spring elements, whereby said sheets are securely held tightly between said covers, the end of each post being Within the confines of the cup-shape of said a nut.

2. A loose leaf binder as recited in claim 1 wherein said jacket is of nylon.

References Cited JEROME SCHNALL, Primary Examiner. 

1. A LOOSE LEAF BINDER COMPRISING A PAIR OF COVERS FOR HOLDING A STACK OF SHEETS THEREBETWEEN, A PLURALITY OF HOLES THROUGH AN EDGE PORTION OF SAID COVERS AND SHEETS, A PLURALITY OF BINDING POST ASSEMBLIES EXTENDING THROUGH SAID HOLES, EACH BINDING POST ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A HEAD PORTION SERVING AS A STOP BY RESTING IN A WELL PORTION ON THE OUTER SURFACE OF ONE COVER, A STRANDED WIRE CABLE EXTENDING THROUGH ONE OF SAID HOLES AND INTEGRALLY SECURED AND SWAGED INSIDE A SLEEVE PORTION OF ONE OF SAID HEADS, A PLASTIC JACKET EXTRUDED ON AND SUBSTANTIALLY INTEGRAL WITH SAID CABLE SO AS TO PREVENT SAID JACKET FROM BEING PULLED LONGITUDINALLY RELATIVE TO SAID CABLE SO AS TO STRIP OR PEEL FROM SAID CABLE, SAID CABLE INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF WIRES WOUND AROUND IN A HELICAL MANNER, SAID PLASTIC JACKET BEING FORCED INTO THE INTERSTICES OF THE CABLE DURING EXTRUSION TO PREVENT THE TENDENCY OF THE JACKET FROM BEING PULLED LONGITUDINALLY RELATIVE TO THE CABLE, AND A CUPSHAPED NUT RESTING IN A WELL PORTION ON THE OUTSIDE SURFACE OF THE OTHER OF SAID COVERS AND HAVING FLEXIBLE, ONE-WAY ACTING SPRING ELEMENTS FORMED IN THE BOTTOM OF SAID CUPSHAPE SNUGLY SURROUNDING SAID PLASTIC JACKET FOR FREELY PERMITTING THE NUT TO SLIDE TOWARD THE HEAD, BUT NOT AWAY FROM IT AS A CONSEQUENCE OF DIGGING INTO THE PLASTIC COATING BY SAID SPRING ELEMENTS, WHEREBY SAID SHEETS ARE SECURELY HELD TIGHTLY BETWEEN SAID COVERS, THE END OF EACH POST BEING WITHIN THE CONFINES OF THE CUP-SHAPE OF SAID NUT. 